Silence in the Dark
by Aphrodite420
Summary: The Enterprise's first away mission goes awry and Nyota is taken hostage...Definitely not a fluffy fic. Rated T for violence and strong language. This is a 'two-shot', with two chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yes, I know, the whole Uhura-getting-kidnapped bit has been done before, several times. But I wanted to write my own version. I warn you now, this one is dark, with little or no fluff. I'm rating it T for violence and some strong language. This was originally intended to be a one-shot, but it got too long on me, so I sort of made it a two-shot. I hope it doesn't deter readers.**

**Also- if you haven't read my other three one-shots, I would recommend them, although it's not required to read them to read this...I promise, they're a lot shorter!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek. I'm starting to give up hope that I ever will. *Sigh*.**

**Silence in the Dark- Part I**

It was one month into their mission- and they were finally given the chance to explore an inhabited but unvisited planet.

Or at least, the sensors _showed_ that it was an inhabited planet.

Nyota looked around, frowning ever so slightly. They had met nothing other than a few small mammals and reptiles since their arrival three hours before. Yet...their tricorders said they should have met someone by now. Scanners had specifically said that the natives of Scorpius III were humanoids, and the population of the small planet was somewhere in between thirty and forty thousand. The coordinates they had been beamed to were supposed to be the most densely populated area.

And still...nothing. It was unsettling.

"Could the sensors have somehow been wrong? Or given us the wrong coordinates?" Nyota asked as she hurried to catch up to the first officer. Spock tilted his head a little to the left, still walking, his stride longer than hers, which forced her to walk faster.

"I have recently performed diagnostics on the entire computer system. The event of an error is highly unlikely." Spock replied. "I propose the theory that the natives are hiding."

"But they can't just hide! The tricorders aren't registering any significant life signs at all." Nyota replied.

"I know as much as you do at this time, _Lieutenant_." Spock said, adding emphasis to her title. This was his way of reminding her that as long as they were on duty, they were not lovers- they were professionals. And she was beginning to be impertinent.

"Of course, Commander." Nyota murmured, and then fell back.

No one knew of their relationship except for Kirk, and possibly Scotty and Chekov, who had all been in the transporter room the day of Vulcan's destruction. Nyota and Spock were extremely careful- almost paranoid, even. They hardly spoke beyond their professional duties when outside their quarters, lest someone see them conversing and get the wrong idea. They snuck around when their shifts were over to meet up in one or the other's quarters- of course, Spock did not call it 'sneaking around'. He called it merely being 'discrete' and 'guarding their privacy'.

She knew it was necessary, to avoid gossip spreading about them- but sometimes it was distressing. She wished they did not have to hide their relationship. But they could not risk someone claiming that Spock was giving Nyota favoritism- which was still as much of a problem on a starship as it had been back at the Academy.

Everyone who knew Spock knew, of course, that he was incapable of favoritism. But that would not stop Starfleet personnel from spreading rumors, which would eventually reach Starfleet Command and result in a court-martial hearing.

Added to that was Spock's Vulcan sense of privacy. He disliked (although he would never use that word) the idea of everyone knowing about them. Maybe he thought it made him seem too human, or he didn't want to explain how their relationship was not illogical. Either way, it was obvious that the crew was not going to find out that their first officer and Chief Communications officer were 'involved'. It wasn't hard to keep up the pretense- Spock _was_ Vulcan, after all.

She watched as he picked his way through the dense vegetation. Scorpius III was made up almost entirely of rain forests, and they had beamed directly down into one. They were surrounded on all sides by tall trees and thick green plants. The heat and humidity were making it hard to keep moving- at least for the humans. Spock may have not found the humidity comfortable, but he could stand the heat much better than they could. He hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Damn it!" said an agitated voice from behind her. Nyota turned to see Dr. McCoy, his medical bag snagged on a bush. He tugged on it irritably before freeing it, and wiping a sleeve across his forehead. "We'd better meet one of these people soon. I want to go back to the ship, where I can be of some use."

"And I'm sure you are plenty useful in treating common colds and papercuts." Kirk said with an amused expression. "Face it, Bones- this is more exciting than sitting in sickbay filling out reports and conducting physicals!"

"I'm a doctor, not an adventurer." McCoy grumbled, catching up to Kirk.

"I'm hoping we meet one of these natives soon, too, Captain." Nyota said, falling in next to them. "Or else I could've been on the bridge this whole time. I came down here to record a possible new language, not to walk around."

"This _is_ strange. We should've met someone, right?" Kirk said, looking around.

"Maybe we scared them off." McCoy grumbled.

"Anything yet, Spock?" Kirk called. Spock was now nearly ten meters ahead of them.

"No, Captain." Spock replied. All three humans sighed in frustration.

The two men from security who had accompanied them to the planet surface, Thompson and Watkins, were not far behind them, and Nyota heard one of them curse as he almost tripped over a root. She glanced back at them briefly, and turned back to Kirk.

"Captain, I don't think any of us can go on much longer."

"I have to agree with that, Jim." McCoy said. "It's hot as all hell down here."

"Another ten minutes and we'll call it quits. Then we'll head back to the Enterprise and check out the sensors, make sure nothing is wrong." Kirk replied. "Makes no sense-"

He was interrupted by Spock's voice from up ahead.  
"Captain! There are twelve life signatures coming this way." he said, stopping in his tracks. Soon Kirk, McCoy, Nyota, and the two men from security were crowded around him.

"From which direction?" Kirk asked, eyes glinting with excitement. Nyota also felt some excitement- she could very possibly discover a new language! She was eager to study it.

Spock stared at the tricorder screen for a moment longer, and then slowly looked up at Kirk.

"From all around us, Captain." he replied evenly. "I believe this is what is called an 'ambush'."

As he said this, Nyota saw a figure silently step out from behind a tree, raising a strange contraption that vaguely resembled a crossbow. It was pointed directly at Spock's back. She gasped.

"Spock!" she called out, and he looked at her, obviously about to reprimand her for using his name. Then he saw the alarm on her face, and spun around just in time to see the string release, and the arrow streak towards him. It struck his right shoulder, and she heard his sharp intake of breath. He stumbled backwards slightly, almost tripping on a rock protruding from the ground. Nyota, who was standing directly behind him, caught him. He was able to regain his footing, and as he was standing again, another arrow was let loose- this time hitting one of the security men directly in the heart.

"Damn it!" McCoy shouted, kneeling down beside him, but the man was already dead. His green eyes stared off at nothing.

Suddenly, a harsh shout rent the air. It was not from any of the landing party. Nyota looked around, and saw for the first time that eleven other men had appeared around them in a circle. The biggest one was now yelling at the man who had fired upon the away team.

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the remaining security officer all had their phasers drawn. Nyota drew hers as well. Her heart was pounding in her throat, and looking down at herself she noticed that she was covered in green blood. She glanced back at Spock- the arrow was still in his shoulder, but it was not a serious wound. She suppressed a relieved sigh- they weren't out of this mess yet.

It seemed that the man who had injured Spock and killed the security officer had not been acting on the leader's orders. This infuriated Nyota even more- the officer had been killed for no reason! That could easily be Spock laying there dead...she pushed the thought away. She couldn't bear to think of that now.

She turned her attention to the men who surrounded them. They still held their strange crossbow weapons pointed at them. They were humanoid, which they had expected- with eerie yellow eyes and long, black tangled hair and beards. Their skin was dark- much darker than Nyota's. They wore what looked like animal skins and leaves sewn together. As one man bared his teeth at her, she noted another difference- the inhabitants of Scorpius III had sharp teeth. _Very_ sharp teeth.

The landing party was now bunched together in a circle, facing their attackers with their backs pressed together. When Nyota shuddered upon seeing those sharp teeth, Spock felt it, since he was to her left. She was surprised when his right hand brushed lightly against hers, and he sent her waves of calm.

"_Remain calm, ashayam_." he murmured in Vulcan. "_I will protect you_."

His words touched her, and she suddenly felt much safer. How could she possibly worry with Spock around to watch over her? He had once told her how territorial Vulcans could be...surely, if anyone tried anything with her, he would put a stop to it. She was _his_.

They were hopelessly outnumbered. They couldn't possibly use their phasers fast enough to save themselves from the arrows that would be released as soon as they began to fire. The natives were glaring at them, baring their teeth, eying Nyota in a way that made her nervous, despite Spock's warm fingers that were still against her wrist.

"Got a plan?" McCoy, who was on her right, hissed at Kirk, who was on _his _right.

"Not yet." Kirk whispered back. "I'm working on it."

"That's comforting." McCoy muttered.

The leader of the party was done screaming at the man who had killed the officer. He turned now to the landing party, pacing up and down before them, eying each of them closely. His strange yellow eyes lingered on Spock's ears and slanted eyebrows longer than the rest. He said something in his harsh, guttural tongue, which reminded Nyota greatly of Klingon. Then he turned to Nyota, his tough expression altering very quickly. His voice was suddenly much softer as he reached out to stroke her cheek with one finger. She shuddered involuntarily at the contact. At the same time, a deep rumbling growl came from her left. Eyes wide, she looked over at Spock. Had that been _him_? She had never heard him make _that _particular sound before....

"Spock?" she whispered. His eyes were trained on the man before him, who was again watching Spock.

"_She is mine_." Spock said in Vulcan. It did not matter that the man before them could not understand his words. His meaning was clear.

The man barked out a laugh, and suddenly reached out to wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her away from the others and to his side, knocking the phaser out of her hand as he did so. He shook his head and said something in his own language. Nyota felt sick to her stomach- he smelled like stale sweat and dirt, and he was not fit like the other men that surrounded them- he was immensely fat. But that wasn't what disgusted her- it was obvious that he was claiming her as his. Her eyes darted back to Spock, and she was surprised by what she saw. His expression was as composed as ever, but his nostrils were slightly flared, the hand at his side was balled up in a fist, and the hand clutching the phaser was gripping it harder than necessary. The last time she had seen him like this, Kirk had nearly lost his life.

Apparently, Kirk noticed the warning signs as well, and he was also the only one present who knew just what Nyota meant to Spock. Or had an idea of it, anyway. He stepped forward, between Spock and the large native.

"Come on...really...just calm down. Release her and we'll leave, never to bother you again." he said in a coaxing tone.

Of course, the man had no idea what Kirk was saying. His yellow eyes narrowed at him, and then he reached out to push Kirk out of his way so he could see Spock again. As he did so, he pulled Nyota even closer against his side.

She grimaced, and tried to fight him, but he was surprisingly strong. She shouted out as she tried to kick him, but he held her so tightly she could barely move. Fear started to seep into her...her heart was pounding wildly, drumming against her ribs. Her eyes were wide, and she felt tears starting to form.

"Let me go, you bastard!" she spat. Her eyes fixed on Spock, who had lowered his phaser. His eyes were flashing in anger, even if he did still look completely calm.

It happened suddenly- Spock lunged toward the man holding Nyota, and three of the natives lunged toward him. There was a brief scuffle, but Nyota couldn't see what was happening- the big man was pulling her away, toward the trees. She screamed and scratched at him with her nails, trying to escape- but his grip on her arm was strong. She heard a short cry of pain from behind her- and knew it was Spock.

"Spock!" she cried, and managed to rip her arm away from the man's grip. She ran back to the spot where the others were, and saw phaser-fire. They were all fighting now, natives and away team alike.

She looked wildly around, and found Spock. He was on his knees, struggling to get up. The shaft of the arrow had been broken- apparently, that was when he had cried out.

"Spock!" she called out again, and he looked up.

"Nyota!" he said, and suddenly he was on his feet again, making his way back to her.

Before they could touch, she felt arms around her from behind again- many arms. When she twisted around to look, she saw that no less than five men had grabbed her and were dragging her back toward the leader.

"NO!" Spock cried, and that cry alone was enough to make her heart stop. She had never heard so much emotion in his voice before.

She struggled against them, hard...until she felt something heavy hit her head. She cried out as pain spread through her skull, her own voice sounding distant to her ears...her vision swam...the last thing she saw was Spock struggling against three other men to get to her, his face illuminated by the red phaser fire that still lit the clearing...his voice again calling out to her with raw emotion...

____________________________________________________________

When she felt the oppressive black curtain beginning to lift from her mind, she blinked her eyes slowly open. She felt dizzy, disoriented...where was she? Why couldn't she move?

Then she remembered...flashes of red phaser fire...Spock's face...his voice, calling out to her...pain, blackness...

Her head jerked up, her mind a little clearer. She looked around, breathing hard, heart thudding against her ribcage. She was in what looked like a small building made from slats of wood and large green leaves. The floor beneath her was dirt. Her wrists were tied together, and also tied to a thick pole that ran horizontally across the hut. She hung limply by her arms, her feet barely touching the ground. Her ankles were also tied together.

Her shoes were gone, and her uniform was ripped in several places. That must have happened during the struggle. Her head throbbed, and her face felt stiff- probably with dried blood. Her shoulders ached, most likely from hanging limply by her arms while unconscious.

She wondered how long she had been there. Bright sunlight poured through the spaces in between slats in the walls, and she knew it it had to have been several hours, since it was late afternoon when the ambush occurred. This looked like the bright light of early morning.

Then she wondered, with a start, what had happened to the others. Were they taken hostage too? Were they released? Were they...no, she could not let herself think that way. Spock _couldn't_ be dead. She wouldn't accept it.

She tested her bonds. They were very strong- much stronger than normal rope. They were also rougher, and when she moved her skin burned.

She closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry, not to think of what may have happened to the others. She took in a long, shuddering breath and released it. If only her mind wasn't so clouded...and her head didn't throb with every heartbeat...

She shook her head to clear it, and looked around the hut. All first-year cadets at the Academy were required to take a survival class...one of the first things they taught was how to improvise. There had to be a way out of here.

Nyota was eying a thin pole leaning against the corner of the hut when a shadow fell across the doorway. Her eyes darted toward the massive figure now walking into the hut, followed by a younger man. It was the same man from before- the one who had claimed her as his.

She shot him the most murderous glare she could muster as he came near. His dark skin was glistening with oils, and she noticed for the first time that unlike the others', his clothing was trimmed with fur and made with more skill. Apparently, he was important to his people.

"What do you _want _with me?" she hissed. "Where are my friends? Where's Spock?"

He didn't seem to recognize any of her words until she said Spock's name. Then he laughed smugly. She felt her stomach clench, and she had the overwhelming desire to throw up all over him. She couldn't seem to draw in a breath. If he laughed when she said Spock's name...that couldn't be a good sign.

"Where is he, you son of a bitch?" she screamed. "Where's Spock? I swear to God, if you hurt him or anyone else...I'm going to fucking kill you!"

It seemed that the gist of her words was clear to him, because his smile was suddenly gone. He turned to the smaller man and spoke one word.

Nyota watched with growing trepidation as the man left the hut. While he was gone, the larger man watched her somberly, stroking his thick black heard. She wondered what was about to happen.

Soon, the other man returned with a bucket. It was full of water that sloshed over the sides as he carried it behind her. She wondered what he was doing, and twisted her head around as much as possible, in time to see him withdraw a knife from a sack tied around his waist. The metal glimmered as he raised it, and she jerked away from him instinctively. One large dark hand grasped her shoulder to hold her still, and she squeezed her eyes shut in preparation. Then she heard the sound of cloth being ripped away, and she could feel his breath against her back. She was shaking.

She wasn't prepared for the sudden deluge of icy cold water, and she cried out. Once the initial shock wore off, she opened her eyes and looked up at the man standing before her. She could hear the droplets of water falling to the dirt floor with soft thuds, and felt the water trickling down her back. She was shivering violently now. She waited for what would happen next as she glared at the leader.

She didn't have to wait long. Without warning, she felt a sharp stinging across her back. She had been so absorbed with watching the leader, she hadn't noticed the other man retrieve the pole from the corner. If she had, she would have been prepared.

She barely had time to recover from the first blow before the second landed, the pole and the wet skin meeting like fire. She cried out again, her back arching. She was gasping for breath as the third landed.

The air was filled with the sick sound of wood against flesh and her screams of pain. She tried to bite them back, tried to prove that she was strong, but the pain only seemed to intensify the longer they beat her. She screamed, but she did not cry. No tears ran down those caramel-colored cheeks.

It seemed as if hours had passed by the time the leader commanded his companion to cease. Nyota could hardly enjoy the absence of the stinging blows...her back still felt aflame.

She slumped against her bonds, letting the ropes hold her up, her feet dragging slightly in the mud beneath her as she swayed. Her eyes were closed, and she was struggling not to cry, not to question _why_ this was happening. She was struggling not to think of Spock, of Kirk and McCoy.

She must have fallen asleep...or perhaps she passed out. When she looked up, it was dark outside and she was alone. The skin on her back was stiff, and when she tried to move she cried out in pain. It felt like someone was pressing red-hot rods against her back.

Her shoulders ached, so she put pressure on her feet to relieve them. She then buried her face in her arm and squeezed her eyes shut. Spock...she kept picturing his face, the sound of his voice as he called out to her. What had become of him? Would she ever know? Was she going to be tortured to death?

She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice the woman that entered the hut until a cold, wet rag was pressed against her face. She started and drew back, her eyes wide as she made a small sound of surprise.

"What the-" she began, but felt two soft fingers against her lips. The woman shook her head, and jerked her head toward the entrance to the hut. Nyota nodded to show that she understood. The woman was not supposed to be here.

The woman was dark-skinned, like the men, her thick black hair pulled back with a band. Her yellow eyes were almost cat-like as they surveyed Nyota, and she cocked her head slightly to the side before moving behind her and pressing the wet rag against the inflamed skin of her back. It felt so nice, so soothing...

"Thank you." Nyota said as the woman applied the rag to each section of her back. She knew she didn't understand the words, but it didn't matter. She was overflowing with gratitude and knew she could never repay her for her kindness.

Much too soon, the woman stopped her ministrations and returned to face Nyota. She turned her back to her, and pulled the top of her dress down far enough to show scars, which were startlingly pink against her dark skin. Nyota gasped as she realized what exactly was happening...this was some sort of rite of passage, or perhaps something that was done to all prisoners to break their will. This woman had once suffered as much as she.

She turned back to Nyota and gave her a sympathetic look. She whispered words that Nyota did not understand, and then bent down and picked up a small cup of water that she had set down when she first got there. She lifted it to Nyota's mouth, and as the cold water touched her parched lips she realized just how thirsty she was. She gulped it down eagerly, until the wooden cup was empty.

The woman drew the cup away, and proceeded to speak many lines of the language Nyota did not know, which was starting to frustrate her. She then turned and hurried out of the hut, leaving Nyota alone again. Alone, to listen to the silence of the dark.

_________________________________________________________

An hour later, the leader returned with his companion. By then, Nyota had regained some strength. She straightened as they entered the hut. The smaller man was carrying something...a long, thin rope. Nyota made the quietest of groans...a whip would break her skin, make her bleed.

The leader spoke in his language once more, and in reply Nyota spat in his face. She didn't know what he had said, and she didn't care. All she knew was that she was tired, and in pain, and she wanted to die already and get it over with.

The leader grew angry, and commanded his servant again. The smaller man again went behind her, and soon she felt the whip against her back. She had grown so accustomed to pain in the last hours that she hardly even flinched as the fresh burning started. She did not cry out, even when she felt blood dripping down her back and wetting the dirt around her feet. She did not care any more.

When they had left again, Nyota slumped once more. She stared down at her feet, feeling herself give up. _Spock...Spock...my k'diwa...I need you...I need your strength. _She thought. _Spock_...what would he think of her, giving up like this?

She found herself again staring at the bonds around her ankles. They weren't as tight as those around her wrists...

With renewed determination, she began to work, picturing Spock's face, imagining that his voice was whispering encouragement in her ear, that his warm fingers were brushing against her temple...maybe, just maybe, he was still alive. And if he was, she couldn't stay here, and she couldn't allow herself to die.


	2. Chapter 2

**Silence in the Dark- Part II**

Nyota gave a sound of triumph as she finally worked her feet free and the bonds fell to the ground. Her ankles were chafed, but that hardly mattered.

Now, for the hard part...

She looked up at the beam that ran from one end of the hut to the other- the same beam that her wrists were tied to. She bit her lip in concentration as she began to swing back and forth, swinging her legs until they almost connected with the beam. So close....but not close enough.

She tried again, not caring that the ropes rubbing against her skin burned almost as bad as her back, which was still wet with blood. This time, she just barely managed to hook both ankles around the pole. Her right ankle hit much too hard, and she heard a small _crack!_ and felt sharp pain emanating from it. She gasped and felt her eyes tear up, but somehow still managed to keep her hold and pull her body up closer to the beam.

She maneuvered and wiggled herself around the beam until she sat astride it, her head grazing against the leafy ceiling. She was panting with pain now- her ankle was rapidly swelling and throbbing, and her back was burning anew.

Nyota couldn't let that distract her. She looked down at her wrists, barely able to see the ropes in the dark. But she saw enough, and soon she was rubbing the fibers against the sharper edge of the square beam. She hoped and prayed that it was fraying, because she couldn't see it well enough to know for sure.

She must have been at it for ten minutes when she heard voices approaching. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart hammered in her ears. She realized that she had paused, and began to vigorously rub the ropes against the beam, her breath coming harsh and painful...come on... just a little bit more...they were coming....

When the leader and his sidekick came through the door, they were surprised when they didn't see their prisoner anywhere. They began to babble in their horrible language loudly, pointing at the spot where Nyota had been tied, and where her blood still stained the dirt. The leader was yelling...

But they weren't nearly as surprised as when she leaped out of the shadows from the beam, and landed directly on the leader, pinning him to the ground. The fall jostled her broken ankle, and she hissed in pain, but she was now so filled with rage and hate that she didn't care.

She felt the leader's companion's arms wound around her, and she elbowed him blindly in the face. She knew from the satisfying _crunch_ that she had hit his nose and broken it. She felt an insane feeling of retribution as her hands found the large man's throat, and she squeezed.

"Where is Spock?" she hissed. "Where is Kirk? McCoy?"

He made a strange gurgling sound in the back of his throat, and she lessened her grip a little. He tried to push her off, but her knees were on either side of him, her weight on his chest pinning him down. She saw the other man run out of the hut from the corner of her eye, but at the moment she didn't care about him.

"Where are they?" she growled, sinking her nails into his skin. She could not describe the feeling welling up within her...she was almost feral.

She was stopped by a voice from the doorway. The woman that had tended to her before stood there, watching with wide eyes as Nyota slowly choked the leader to death. She was yelling words in the strange language, her voice making the harsh words almost beautiful. She was waving her arms at Nyota, as if beckoning her. Her yellow eyes glinted in the dark like an animal's would.

She was pointing off in the distance, and Nyota realized that the woman knew something...either someone was coming, or she knew where her friends were.

Nyota released the man, who immediately began to cough and sputter, his chest heaving. She got to her feet, limping over to the woman.

She looked out the doorway, and saw that they seemed to be in a clearing in the rain forest, surrounded by huts made of wooden slats and large leaves. It was a village, and in the distance she saw a group of men armed with crossbows running toward them.

Nyota stared at them in fear, unsure of what she was supposed to do. Then she felt the woman nudge her gently, and she looked down- the woman held out her communicator. It must have been found with her things, but the woman couldn't possibly know how important it was or what it did.

"Oh, God...thank you!" Nyota said, feeling relieved tears well up in her eyes. All she would have to do is contact the ship...

She flipped it open, and hailed the Enterprise.

"Enterprise...this is Uhura...come in, Enterprise." she said, not realizing until then just how hoarse her voice sounded. There was a moment of static, and then...

"Uhura? Is that you?" came an incredulous-sounding voice. It was Miller, the secondary communications officer.

"Yes, it's me! Beam me aboard NOW!" Nyota cried as the warriors neared them and stopped to aim their crossbows. There was a moment's delay, and then she felt the tingling sensation all over her, like thousands of ants crawling over her skin. Then- at the same time, two things happened. The dark woman beside her grabbed a hold of Nyota's arm, and the nearest warrior let loose an arrow.

__________________________________________________

When she rematerialized on the transporter pad, her eyes were wide with shock, and her hand moved down to her stomach- from which protruded an arrow.

The woman beside her, who had been beamed aboard the star ship with her, cried out in alarm. One of the engineers in the room started forward, getting there just in time as Nyota tipped forward in a graceful fall, staring down at the blood on her fingertips. His hands caught her around the shoulders, and he lowered her to the ground.

"Call medical!" he yelled at the other person at the transporter console. He leaned over and pressed an intercom. "Dr. McCoy, report to the transporter room immediately!" he said loudly. "It's an emergency- Lieutenant Uhura-"

She didn't hear any more...everything sounded distant. Her ears were ringing. She was aware of bright lights, of pain in her stomach, her ankle, her back, her head...pain everywhere...all she could think of was Spock. As she felt herself lifted onto a stretcher and rushed toward sickbay, she could only think of him.

"Spock...Spock..." she moaned, her head tossing back and forth. "Where is he?"

She heard McCoy's voice, but his words didn't make any sense...she felt herself being moved, lifted and placed somewhere warm and comfortable. She heard someone cry out...was that her voice? She felt herself tipped to the side, and someone gasped...

"My God, Leonard, look at her back!" she recognized the voice as Nurse Chapel's...

"Never mind her back, let's concentrate on this arrow!" McCoy barked.

She felt more pain...her mind was getting fuzzier...

She heard McCoy's voice shouting out orders...

Then she knew no more.

___________________________________________

When she came to, she was on her side on a biobed. She blinked, and moaned. Pain. Pain everywhere. And still, only one clear thought...Spock...

She opened her eyes wide, and looked around. Her heart beat faster and her breathing quickened.

She still didn't know what had happened to Spock, whether or not he was alive...

She tried to sit up, but realized it was going to be impossible. Thick bandages covered her torso, and there was a cast on her ankle. Her head felt heavy, and she raised a hand to it, only to feel another bandage there.

"You're awake. Good." said a voice above her. She rolled her head to the side and squinted up.

"Turn the lights down, Bones." she grumbled. "They're hurting my eyes."

"That's not unusual after a concussion." McCoy replied. He moved a medical tricorder over her. She grabbed his wrist, meeting his eyes.

"The landing party. Did everyone get back okay?"

"Everyone but you beamed up the evening before last." McCoy replied gently. "After the fight with the natives. Thompson and Watkins are both dead, and Spock was in pretty bad shape..."

Her fingers squeezed his wrist painfully. He winced.

"I see your strength is returning." he commented. He paused, and then eyed her. Her eyes were wide, her heartbeat elevated. "Spock's okay." he added, and she leaned back against the pillows, sighing as relief washed over her. His brows furrowed.

"Why all the interest in Spock all of a sudden?" he asked. Nyota shook her head and didn't answer him.

"What were his injuries? Is he still here, in medical bay?"

"He had a pretty nasty shoulder wound, but it's healed up well now. I discharged him within an hour after treating him. He insisted that he had to get back to work, get back to trying to find you, like Jim and everyone else was doing. Once you were far enough away, the natives retreated. The away team beamed aboard to treat injuries before beaming back down, to try to find you with a full security detail. That's where everyone was when you beamed aboard yourself last night."

"Has he been to see me?" she now asked.

He didn't have to ask who she meant. "No. The only person who's been here besides me is Jim. He's been dropping in once an hour or so to check up on you."

Nyota couldn't stop the disappointment from flooding her, and she turned her face away to hide it. Why hadn't he come to see her? She could have died...

"You said everyone was looking for me...isn't that against Starfleet regulations?" she asked, trying to distract herself from the pain that was no longer physical.

"Yeah, well...you know Jim." McCoy said, and she could almost hear him shrug. "He's been known to bend the rules."

"How long have I been in sickbay?" she asked.

"Thirteen hours now."

Thirteen hours...and he hadn't come to see her even once...when she was in pain, when she needed him most...he hadn't been there for her.

There was silence except for the beeping of her vital signs on the screen above her.

"Well, I wanted to stay here until you regained consciousness. I have to fill out your report now...you should sleep for awhile." McCoy said, gently squeezing her arm. He moved away, and flicked the switch that turned off the lights in sickbay as he went into his office.

"Wait- Dr. McCoy?" she called out, her voice cracking a little. He paused and looked back at her.

"What is it?" he asked gently.

"Thank you. If it weren't for you, I'd..." she trailed off. Both of them knew that she had almost died.

"It was an honor, Lieutenant Uhura." he replied softly, and then left.

Nyota lay there, and felt her throat burning as she fought back her tears again. Finally, she was tired of fighting. She had been fighting pain and fighting for her freedom for two days...she didn't want to fight any more.

She felt the tears splash down her cheeks, onto her pillow. She had been through so much...endured so many things...and the only thing that had given her the confidence to escape was _him_. And he couldn't even come visit her in sickbay...he claimed he loved her, but how could he leave her alone when she needed him most?

She brushed her tears away with her hand and buried her face in her pillow. The secrecy of their relationship she could deal with...and even his lack of emotional display was tolerable...but this?

Maybe she was being selfish...she had been selfish before, when Spock had decided to leave Starfleet. She would not have admitted it at the time, but it was true, she _had_ been selfish in wanting him to stay and resenting him for hurting her. Was she being selfish now, when she wanted his support after all she had endured? Somehow, she didn't think so...

She adjusted herself a little, wincing as pain shot through her body. She tried not to think of the events of the past two days. Would she ever be right after that? After being kidnapped and whipped, strung up by a beam...for no reason?

She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing sleep would not come for her.

Instead, she found herself listening to the silence of the dark...both within and without.

_____________________________________________________

When McCoy and Nurse Chapel came next to check on her, they were accompanied by Captain Kirk.

"Nice to see you awake." Kirk said with a small smile that was nothing like his usual cocky grin. Nyota didn't return it- she hadn't slept, and instead had spent the hours thinking about Spock, hoping he would walk in and demand to see her at any minute...she needed so badly to see him...

"I assume you weren't too badly injured in the fight?" Nyota asked. She was now sitting up in bed, propped up by several pillows. The lacerations on her back had mostly healed, but she still felt them burning underneath the bandages.

"Nah." Kirk said. He smiled at her kindly. Nyota stared back at him. The only other time he had been this nice to her was when Spock had decided to leave Starfleet, and he felt bad for her.

McCoy and Chapel soon left them alone, and Kirk sat next to her bed on a chair.

"Why hasn't he come to see me?" she asked right away.

Kirk looked uncomfortable. "Well...I don't know. He keeps asking me to check up on you when I get the chance...he's been working on the bridge since we got back last night. He's writing a full report of what happened, and then he-"

"I want to see him." Nyota murmured, looking down at her hands. They were folded in her lap. "He should know that already."

"I'm sure he has a reason, Uhura." Kirk soothed. Nyota shrugged.

"I'm sure he does." she replied flatly. Something in her tone made Kirk lean closer.

"He was really...well...I've never seen him like he's been the past two days." he said. "When they hauled you away...if it weren't for his shoulder, he probably would have killed everyone in sight. When they retreated it was everything I could do to keep him from going after them...his shoulder was bleeding pretty badly by then, so we had to get him back on the Enterprise. As soon as he could he was ordering a search party."

"Wait- I thought it was you who did that?" Nyota asked, surprised.

"I gave him permission of course, and I was planning on it, anyway, but..." Kirk shrugged. "Anyway, he refused to stop. We were on the surface when the call came through from Miller that you had just been beamed aboard with a native woman and were being rushed to medical bay with some pretty serious injuries...Spock didn't say a word, but I could have sworn that he got pale...paler than usual, anyway, if that's possible. Ever since, he's been asking me to stop by and check on you, like I said."

"Why can't he come himself?" Nyota snapped, leaning forward and forgetting in her anger about her back. She winced and sucked in a hissing breath. She relaxed against the pillows again, calmed down. Then she remembered the woman who had beamed aboard with her. "What happened to the woman?" she asked.

"She's in the brig. We weren't sure if she had anything to do with your injuries, so we figured we should keep her there until you woke up."

Nyota shook her head. "No, she helped me." was all she said. Kirk nodded.

"I'll have her returned to the surface. If she wants, anyway- if not, we can take her to a base so her language can be studied." Kirk stood. He hesitated. "Listen...when you're ready...it's required that you give a full report of everything that happened to you."

"I know." Nyota said, nodding.

"Get better soon, all right?"

"Bones says I can be discharged tomorrow, but he's making me take a few weeks off."

"Damn right he should." Kirk said with a smile, and then he left her alone.

_____________________________________________________

By the time she was deemed to be ready to leave sickbay, Spock still had not come to see her. The pain of this had settled deep within her. Two days in sickbay, four since she had seen him...and he could not find five minutes to see her?

It hurt. It hurt more than the injuries she had sustained. He had been all she could think of while she was held captive...and while Kirk said Spock had been worried about her, she wasn't so sure.

McCoy and Chapel each gave her gentle hugs goodbye as she left. She was to be restricted to her quarters, meals brought to her by a yeoman, and was instructed to keep off of her ankle as much as possible...while 23rd century medicine did seem to work miracles on her other injuries, the slowest healing was the broken bone.

She was settling onto her bed and picking up her data PADD to peruse the articles she had missed over the past few days, when her door chimed. Her fingers paused over the PADD.

"Come in." she called. She kept her eyes trained on the screen as the door slid open. She didn't bother looking up- she already knew who it was. "Hello, Spock."

"Nyota..." his voice was hesitant, and when she looked up she caught him staring at the cast on her ankle, at the neatly healing cut on her head where her concussion had been. She no longer wore the bandages, not even on her torso, as those wounds had mostly healed by now. But the stiff way she sat told him that she was still experiencing some pain.

"Nice to see you again." Nyota said, feeling a twinge of pain deeper than any physical injury.

"You are angry."

"I'm hurt." She replied. "And not only physically. You know what? I thought about you every minute that I was a captive. I worried about what had happened to you. All I wanted was to see you again. I could have died, and you wouldn't have been there with me."

"Nyota..." he gave the Vulcan equivalent of a sigh, which was only a slightly faster exhalation. He came closer to the bed. "I have a logical explanation."

"Then I'd like to hear it." she said, finally looking at him, tears shining in her eyes, but she blinked them away. "You can sit down." she said, moving over to make room on the bed.

He sat beside her, and looked at her, his eyes roving over her features.

"If I visited you in the medical bay, it would have been conspicuous." he replied gently. "Do not think that I did not wish to. You were on my mind constantly. I could not risk being seen."

"But I needed you." Nyota whispered so quietly only he could have heard it, with his superior hearing. "I wanted you there beside me."

"It would not have been logical. Your healing would not have been sped up by my presence, and once it was ascertained that you would live, I knew you were in capable hands."

"I still wanted you. I wanted to see you. I fought so hard..." she stopped herself. She wasn't ready to think about what had happened.

"I know you did." Spock replied, and he reached out to touch her. She pulled away, and he withdrew his hand, placing it in his lap. He took a deep breath. "I promised you, before they took you, that I would protect you. I failed."

Nyota looked back at him, a little surprised. He blamed himself...how could he blame himself? She had seen with her own eyes how hard he had tried to protect her. And he himself had been injured...

"None of this is your fault, Spock." Nyota said quietly. "But...you don't understand. I _needed _to see you. I don't care if we got a court-martial because someone saw you and complained. This isn't the same as someone seeing you leave my quarters. This is beyond that...you should have taken the risk."

"Nyota, do you not recall the promise you made to me when we first pursued this relationship?"

"I do." Nyota whispered. "I promised to accept any logical decision you make, even if it hurts me."

"This was a logical decision. You may resent me for it, you may even hate me for it. But it was logical."

"I don't resent or hate you." Nyota replied truthfully. "It's just...sometimes it's unfair. I was there for you when you lost your planet...but you couldn't be here for me."

Spock closed his eyes, and Nyota realized how much she had just pained him. She reached out and took his hand into hers as an apology, and he squeezed back- apology accepted.

"Nyota, I do wish I could have been there for you." Spock replied. "I did not realize that my presence would be beneficial to you."

"Of course it would have been." Nyota said, and she moved so that her head rested against his shoulder. He gingerly placed an arm around her, careful not to touch her back. "And it is, even now."

"I could not be there for you then, but I know a way so that I will always be with you, no matter what." Spock said quietly. Nyota lifted her head and looked at him. "I could bond with you." he explained.

She looked up at him, looking into his chocolate-brown eyes, the eyes that she had thought so often about the last few days.

"I don't know, Spock." Nyota said quietly. "That's a big decision."

"I do not expect you to respond right away." Spock said, a bit too quickly as he looked away. Nyota raised a hand to his face and turned it back to her.

"I do want to bond with you...but not right now." she whispered, and kissed him. "Just promise me that you will be here for me for the rest of my healing process...both physical and mental."

"I promise." Spock said, squeezing her hand. Nyota laid her head against him and closed her eyes.

She didn't know when she would fully recover from this...but she knew that with Spock there for her, she could do it. She understood now why he hadn't come to her in sickbay...she didn't like it, but as before, she must accept it. He had done it for _them_, just as she had escaped that hut for them. She forgave him, because in the end, what really mattered was that he was still with her, and he would help her get through this...because he loved her. His voice was the sound she listened for in the silence of the dark.

**A/N: Not sure how this one is going to be received...this is my first time doing action in a fic, so I'm not that good at it. I'm not happy with the ending, but tell me your thoughts on it...sorry about the length, too. If you write, you know how it is...once you start writing, you just can't stop. **

**The woman who helped Nyota will be in a few of my future fics, and yes, she does have a name...you'll find out more about her, unless you're all completely uninterested, then she'll drop off the face of the Star Trek universe...anyway, I only get paid in reviews, so please review! Even if it's just a few words saying that you like or hate my writing, even if you're just telling me I suck...review!**


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